Syaoran heard a faint call, a distant echo of his name, the sound growing steadily closer, pulling him from the profound depths of his consciousness, a gentle tug back to reality. Slowly, agonizingly, he opened his eyes. It was the middle of the day, a vast, ethereal light enveloping him, and he found himself standing on an endless ocean of fragile, translucent vases. In front of him, serene and radiant, stood Jiutian Xuannü, her presence calming yet formidable.
"What are you doing here?" Syaoran asked, his voice, though deep, echoing strangely in the vast, empty space, a hint of weariness in his tone. "Is the battle is already over?"
Jiutian Xuannü smiled, a serene, knowing expression on her face, her eyes holding ancient wisdom. "The battle is over," she confirmed, her voice soft, melodious. "Your army survived."
Syaoran breathed a sigh of profound relief, a tension he hadn't realized he carried, finally easing from his ethereal form. "Then what are you doing here?" he pressed, a flicker of suspicion returning.
"I came with an offer," Jiutian Xuannü replied, her smile widening slightly, an almost mischievous glint in her eyes.
Syaoran's brows furrowed in immediate doubt, a wary cynicism in his gaze. "Another offer?" he countered, his voice laced with skepticism.
"I can free you from here, but you must catch the last soul," Jiutian Xuannü stated, her voice clear, laying out the terms.
Syaoran, ever the shrewd negotiator, ever defiant, immediately countered, "Not good enough. I have already told Aishu, this time I will be greedy. As long as you reverse the order, I will fetch you that last soul, but only then."
Jiutian Xuannü's serene smile remained, unwavering, as if amused by his boldness. "You thought I would agree?"
Syaoran pressed his advantage, his voice firm, resolute. "If you want me to do heavenly work for you, just accept my proposal. What I want is to be husband and wives with Chá Huā and Hé Huā every single lifetime. If you agree... for generations to come, we will always be hunters, purifying evil for you. If you reject my proposal, they can continue to reincarnate, and I will guard this Demon Gate for eternity, bound forever."
Jiutian Xuannü shook her head, a hint of disappointment, yet also a resigned understanding, in her expression. "You have never changed, Syaoran."
Syaoran smirked, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. "You came to this proposal because Chá Huā and Hé Huā refused to hunt down the last soul, didn't you? Just take my proposal. Both parties win." His voice held a confident challenge.
"Agreed," Jiutian Xuannü conceded, her smile finally widening fully, a hint of respect for his unwavering spirit.
"I curse you with your goddess' words," Syaoran declared, raising his right hand, his voice solemn and powerful, imbued with ancient magic. "If you don't fulfill your promise, we will become the three most evil souls after death. We will destroy heaven and bring heaven to hell!" He extended his hand, palm open. "Let's tap three times." Syaoran and Jiutian Xuannü met palms, tapping their hands together three times, the sound echoing through the ethereal space. "Through these three taps, what we promised is sealed, and heaven and hell are our witnesses."
Then, everything darkened, dissolving into oblivion. When Ping'an opened her eyes again, slowly, painstakingly, she found herself already lying in her familiar bed, wrapped in soft blankets, in the quiet middle of the night. She stood up slowly, her legs so weak, so heavy, that she could hardly stand, trembling with the effort. It took her a long, disorienting moment to get used to her body again, to feel grounded in her own flesh.
"Baiyu? Renshu?" Ping'an softly called out, her voice barely a whisper, filled with a drowsy confusion. She only heard the distant, familiar sound of the waterfall, a constant lullaby of their home.
She remembered Jiutian Xuannü telling her that they had won. She must have passed out from sheer exhaustion; her husbands were likely busy with the overwhelming military situation, perhaps too busy to return to her side. After waiting for two agonizing hours, they did not return, but she had regained some strength. With a renewed sense of purpose, she stood up, walked into the kitchen, and began to lovingly prepare dinner, expecting their return at any moment.
At this very moment, outside Immortal Valley, Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu could do nothing more. Ping'an's statue was utterly destroyed, reduced to nothing but a pile of dirt. Resigned and defeated, they decided to call it a night, walking slowly, wearily, back to their small bamboo hut.
"Who do you think did it?" Zhao Renshu fumed, his voice thick with a simmering anger and frustration, kicking a loose stone.
"Who do you think hates her the most?" Guo Baiyu countered, his tone heavy, his eyes distant, lost in thought. "I don't know who hates her enough to do this."
"I know who hates her the most!" Zhao Renshu declared frantically, his voice rising, raw with conviction. "Hu Qingge! I'm leaving tomorrow, I'm hunting her down!"
"You didn't see it with your own eyes," Guo Baiyu argued calmly, his voice steady, a stark contrast to Zhao Renshu's fury. "You don't know who the perpetrator is. Don't guess; you can't undo what you've done. Now that you've mentioned Hu Qingge, don't you remember the situation in Broder Town? How much you want to go back and undo what you did, but you can't do it." His words were a painful reminder.
Zhao Renshu, enraged, shoved Guo Baiyu back, a sudden burst of violent frustration. "I told you to stop talking!" he snarled, his eyes wild.
"I'm giving you an example," Guo Baiyu stated calmly, regaining his balance, his voice unwavering.
"You want to see with your own eyes," Zhao Renshu shouted wildly, his voice cracking with anguish, "just like when she stabbed Ping'an's chest with the knife last time, huh?!" His words were a direct, cruel hit at Guo Baiyu's deepest trauma.
Guo Baiyu still remained unnervingly calm, his face pale but his gaze firm. "I just don't want you to regret what you did."
Zhao Renshu gritted his teeth, a mad, dangerous glint in his eyes. "I will regret it if I don't kill her!" he spat, his resolve absolute.
"Think it through carefully before you act," Guo Baiyu calmly advised, his voice measured, trying to appeal to reason. "If you kill her without witnesses and evidence, the Bee Clan will become your enemy. They will stand on the side of the Scorpion Clan and Spider Clan, which will bring trouble to other fairy clans. Other clans will soon follow the Bee Clan because their respected leader killed a fairy without evidence."
"There is nothing to prove!" Zhao Renshu shouted angrily, his voice hoarse with frustration. "If you are afraid of losing your title as their Grand Leader, I will resign, and I will kill her, which means you have nothing to do with this matter!"
"You are letting your emotions take control!" Guo Baiyu shouted after him, his voice finally rising in exasperation and concern.
Zhao Renshu stopped abruptly and spun around, his eyes blazing. "Shut up! I am not a great hero like you!" He pointed an accusing finger at Guo Baiyu, his voice dripping with scorn. "Always consider others first, and then consider myself. Deep down in my heart, I know that you still regret leaving your luxury mansion and the title of Master behind!"
Guo Baiyu's blood rushed to his head, a furious flush rising on his face, his calm shattered. "Say it again," he commanded, his voice low, dangerous.
Zhao Renshu approached, his voice laced with deliberate provocation, pushing him further. "You regret leaving your luxury mansion and the title of Master behind."
Guo Baiyu's fist shot out, a controlled burst of fury, landing squarely on Zhao Renshu's lower left corner of his mouth and the bridge of his nose. The force of the punch sent Zhao Renshu stumbling backward, collapsing with a grunt against a tree on the path, clutching his face.
Zhao Renshu spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, his eyes wide with shock and rage. "How dare you hit me?!" he roared. He retaliated instantly, shooting two sharp icicles directly at Guo Baiyu, but Guo Baiyu, agile even in anger, dodged them easily.
Guo Baiyu was furious, his voice raw with a rare, unrestrained anger. "Do you really want to use your talisman against me?! Fight me like a man!" he roared, challenging him. "Don't be such a prodigal loser, relying on your talisman!"
Zhao Renshu screamed, a raw cry of frustration and pain, "Ah...!" He lunged at Guo Baiyu with multiple, wild punches, one landing squarely on Guo Baiyu's left cheek with a dull thud. Guo Baiyu, retaliating, kicked Zhao Renshu's stomach, sending him reeling. Zhao Renshu, cunning even in his rage, punched to the right, a feint to distract Guo Baiyu, then followed with a fierce, punishing punch to Guo Baiyu's stomach.
The two elder masters, respected and feared by all hunters and fairies, the very leaders who had united the Fairy Clans, now fought each other like enraged children brawling over candy. The two men exchanged brutal fists back and forth, each consumed by a desperate, blinding rage, each momentarily wishing for the other's demise, lost in their pain. The battle began at the crossroads of the road, then escalated, moving about a hundred yards from their home, a trail of scuffed earth and discarded anger.
Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu finally grabbed onto each other's collars, pushing and pulling, their faces bruised and bleeding. As they stumbled and wrestled towards the gate of their house, they noticed a warm, inviting light shining from within. Their grips on each other's collars slowly loosened, their anger fading to confusion.
The two men, battered and bruised, walked tentatively into the house. They saw two steaming dishes and three bowls of rice neatly laid out on the table. They approached it cautiously. Guo Baiyu reached out a trembling hand and touched the food; it was still warm, radiating a comforting heat.
"Someone is here?" Guo Baiyu said, looking at Zhao Renshu, his voice filled with bewilderment and a fragile hope. "The food is still warm."
Zhao Renshu gave him a vicious, weary look, his face still contorted with lingering anger. "I don't care about it." He turned and walked up into the treehouse, grabbing his clothes, packing them haphazardly into a satchel, and descended the stairs back into the front house, his mind set on leaving.
Zhao Renshu walked past Guo Baiyu, his movements resolute, but Guo Baiyu grabbed his hand, his grip firm. "What are you doing?" Guo Baiyu demanded, his voice urgent.
"I am leaving all this shit behind," Zhao Renshu said angrily, his voice seething with frustration. "I am going to go back to being myself." He turned to Guo Baiyu, his eyes cold and determined. "The original Zhao Renshu."
"You're changing your surname now?" Guo Baiyu quipped, a hint of his usual calm returning, a desperate attempt to diffuse the tension.
Zhao Renshu grabbed Guo Baiyu's front collar, his fingers tightening, gritting his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury. "I, Zhao Renshu, detest..."
"What do you detest?" Ping'an's voice, quiet but firm, cut through the tension, startling them both. She stood at the front door, looking at her husbands, her expression a mixture of confusion and gentle disapproval.
The two men looked towards the door, their faces stunned, their anger instantly dissolving into disbelieving shock. Ping'an stood there, holding a plate with two perfectly cooked fish on it, a serene, almost ethereal presence.
Ping'an put the plate on the table, her movements unhurried, and sat down at her usual spot. "Go on," she prompted, her eyes falling on Zhao Renshu's hand, still gripping Guo Baiyu's collar, "you detested what?"
Zhao Renshu, still disbelieving and shocked, lightly patted Guo Baiyu's front collar, trying to cover his tracks. "I... I... detested this robe," he stammered, a guilty, sheepish smile spreading across his bruised face.
"Fine," Ping'an conceded, a faint, amused smile touching her lips, "I'll make him a new outfit."
Zhao Renshu, his heart pounding, began to walk towards Ping'an, but Guo Baiyu, ever cautious, pulled him back, a silent warning. Guo Baiyu asked, his voice filled with a desperate hope mixed with lingering doubt, "Who are you?"
Ping'an looked at Guo Baiyu impatiently, a hint of her old exasperation returning. "You are really asking this question? Are you two hungry?"
Zhao Renshu, still dubious, his eyes searching her face for confirmation. "We are not really hungry. Who are you?" he insisted, needing absolute certainty.
"Let us look at your left shoulder," Guo Baiyu requested, his voice firm, a flicker of urgency in his eyes.
Ping'an was confused, her brow furrowed. "What? Why? My left shoulder isn't injured."
"Let us look at your left shoulder," Guo Baiyu repeated firmly, a desperate plea in his voice.
Ping'an, with a sigh of mild annoyance, moved her robe to the left, revealing the shimmering spell magic tattoo that covered her shoulder, and the faded scar on her breast, a painful reminder of her past. The two men, their doubts vanquished, their hearts overflowing with overwhelming relief and joy, walked over and happily, almost frantically, hugged Ping'an tightly, pulling her into their embrace.
"Happy now?" Ping'an asked, a hint of amusement, tinged with a deep, fond exasperation, in her voice.
"Happy now," Guo Baiyu confirmed, his voice filled with an almost unbearable relief, his eyes shining with unshed tears.
Zhao Renshu hugged her even tighter, tears streaming down his face, his voice raw with emotion. "I am so happy, so happy," he sobbed, burying his face in her hair.
Ping'an tried to break free of their crushing arms, gasping for air. "What's the matter with you two? It's only been two days; you don't have to miss me that much."
"What did you say?" Guo Baiyu asked, his eyes wide, a sudden chill running down his spine.
"Let go of me, I can't breathe," Ping'an gasped, pushing against them.
They immediately released her from their arms, their joy turning to bewildered confusion. The two men sat back in their usual positions at the table, staring at her intently, their faces bruised and swollen.
Ping'an stared back at them, a frown creasing her brow. "What's wrong with your faces?"
"I was attacked by a wild animal," Guo Baiyu offered weakly, looking away.
"He attacked the wild animal first," Zhao Renshu immediately countered, unable to resist.
Ping'an shook her head, a knowing look in her eyes. "You two were fighting?"
The two looked at each other, a silent, guilty admission passing between them, neither saying a word.
Ping'an frowned, her voice tinged with exasperation. "You two are no longer children; why are you still acting like children? Especially Baiyu, you should know better." She looked pointedly at Zhao Renshu. "Renshu, you need to stop provoking him."
"What do you mean when you say it's only two days?" Guo Baiyu asked again, a serious, urgent note in his voice, his previous concern returning.
Ping'an glared at them coldly, a spark of indignation in her eyes. "Regardless of that, you two lied to me! I haven't settled this with you yet, and you let Peizhi lie to me as well!"
Zhao Renshu immediately went on the defensive, his face still bruised, but his spirit returning. "Speaking of which, you decided to become Syaoran, turned into a clay sculpture, the person who will always guard the Demon Gate! Who will settle that?!" He looked at her, his voice rising in exasperation. "You left us for three years, not two days!"
Ping'an looked at them, utterly bewildered, her eyes wide with shock. "Three years?"
Both men nodded, their faces grim, confirming the unimaginable passage of time.
"The last thing I remember was that I jumped into the magic circle," Ping'an explained, her brow furrowed in deep confusion. "My mind was blank from there to now. The next thing I remember was waking up here. I thought I was too tired from fighting. I dreamed that Syaoran made a bargain with Jiutian Xuannü. She said that the two of you would not leave Immortal Valley... Is it really three years?"
Guo Baiyu held her right hand, his grip tight, reassuring. "It doesn't matter," he whispered, tears in his eyes, "it's fine if you came back."
Zhao Renshu held her left hand, equally tight, equally relieved. "What kind of bargain?" he asked, his voice eager, curious.
"Syaoran told her he was greedy," Ping'an recounted, her voice still filled with wonder, "If she reversed her punishment order, he and his wives..."
"You mean us?" Zhao Renshu interrupted, his eyes wide with a dawning understanding.
"Yes," Ping'an affirmed, a soft, loving smile on her face. "We will help her. His proposal to her was to let us be husband and wife for a lifetime. We will be hunters every single lifetime, but if she lied, he cursed that we would become the three most evil souls and bring heaven to hell."
"That is a good bargain," Guo Baiyu complimented, a genuine smile spreading across his face, a profound relief washing over him.